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What do you think is the problem with the U.S. education system/student

Comparatively speaking, the United States does not starve its education system of revenue. The U.S. is one of the leaders in spending on Education, and yet it's schools are rated "average" by international bodies.

The three-yearly OECD Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) report, which compares the knowledge and skills of 15-year-olds in 70 countries around the world, ranked the United States 14th out of 34 OECD countries for reading skills, 17th for science and a below-average 25th for mathematics.

Has anyone pointed out, that in the United States, we educate EVERYONE and use ALL test scores to evaluate our schools? This means, we include the scores of low ability, and even special education students, to evaluate the school. Other countries (i.e. China) only educate the best and brightest and only share their test scores and graduation rates. Eventually, low students are weeded out. This is not how it works in the US. Essentially, we are trying to compare apples to oranges and coming up short.

Of course I talk to my children. Like I said, it is funny because our school is different. You said yourself that your teacher sends home papers, ours really do not. In three weeks time I have gotten roughly 6 papers from my second grader, and about a dozen from my third grader. One of my neighbours is a teacher herself and has written several letters to the teacher and the principal both about the lack of communication.

It is very helpful to have a little guidence for the talks about school. For instance, a conversation will go much better if I can say, tell me what you learned about the constitution, rather than what did you do in social studies today?

Our curriculum night does not cover curriculum. Last year I went to the state of michigan's education website and printed off the first and second grade curriculum, but without knowing when and how the teacher would cover those subjects, coordination is impossible.

tThat you would assume that I am a parent that can not be bothered with the education of my children was truly out of line.

There have been drops in standards at the state level in the educational system. In our neighborhood there are a lot of families from other countries. Would you care to venture a guess as to why they are here? They are imported engineers. Why? Because we can not produce our own! Why? Becuause our standards in math and science are not able to compete in the real WORLD. That is correct, we absolutely must think about competing at a world level.

Do you only have one child? Have you spoken with many families from India, Germany, China or Japan?

Those countries have much higher standards than we do.

Let me explain another thing to you. All children are different. Boys tend to not talk to their moms as much as girls. That is simply a tendancy, not a rule.

So you can pat yourself on the back and consider yourself supermom because your teacher sends things home with your dd, and you are able to discuss them with her, but don't assume that all teachers are that way, and don't assume that parents are not talking with their children. What you could consider is the world your dd may grow up in, and what options may or may not be avilable to her because of our schools.

Quoting Raine2007:

Have you tried talking to your CHILD??? My DD teacher and school sends home more papers than I care to think about, but I truly think that if we want our kids to succeed than we don't need to be talking to the Teacher so much as we need to talk to the Child. By asking what they learned/did that day you are making them use their brain and try and recall what all happened. Do I expect my child to recall everything down to the last morsel, no. But, if your child knows that you are going to drill them upon their return home they are going to pay more attention to what is going on. You are blaming the Teacher and I am blaming the Parent, but maybe, just maybe it is the child. You are expect the teacher to hand over their lesson plan on a silver platter and are angry because they aren't. I bet the Teacher is expecting you to talk to your child to find out what is going on and is up set because you aren't.....Someone else said the problem is all of the above and I must agree. I am just sick and tiered of we as a people deciding that our teachers are worthless because they don't like us as parents....The teacher isn't their to cattier to you, or your child. They are there to Teach, and if you don't like how they are doing it, pull your kid out and teach them yourself. After all that is YOUR job as a PARENT.

Quoting happy2bmom25:

that is funny. in our neighborhood, we parents beg the teachers for information about what is going on in school. it is like pulling teeth!!!!

i believe, and my neighbors do as well, that if we know what is going on, then we can discuss it at the table, and thus reduce the need for review in the classroom.

apparently, the teachers can not be bothered by informing us parents on what happens in the classroom.

just a different perspective.

i believe that the system is broken, and how bad does it have to get before we quit blaming the parents?

Quoting Raine2007:

Parents and society. More parents view school as a place to put their kids vs actually having an interest in what their child is learning. Children should come home and discuss their day, parents should take the time to go over what their child is learning and help continue that at home. But parents don't have the "time" or they are to tiered to deal with their children to care.

My son is in 4 th grade. He gets quite a bit of HW. Majority of his time after school is riding a bus.

Quoting Malley:

I'd be interested to find out how the average time spent on homework and studying in the US compares to other countries. As a teacher I get alot of pressure not to give much HW. Kids have busy lives with sports.

OK, so to clarify, our principal sends home a newsletter with school events and the lunch menu once a week. The papers from the teacher have totaled (I just counted them) 7. Of which is most was on school policy....

I think on of our BIGGEST problems is programs like "No Child Left Behind" Every child is different, but I really feel that by trying not to leave a child behind others are getting screwed over in their education. By the time the child that gets it gets to where they can take "advanced" classes, most wont want to because they will have to start exercising their brain.

We should compete with other countries, but it will take changing the way we think for that to happen. "We" like the easy life, everything just handed to us because we are entitled.

I shaparoned a feild trip of my baby sisters 7th gread class. One asked what time it was, I showed her my watch (not digital) and she informed me she didn't now how to read it....Really????....Then I informed her that it was Quarter past 4 (we where to meet the bus at 5), She gave me a blank look. If our teens can't even tell time or understand simple fractions we have HUGE problems.

We need to talk to our kids, they need to be able to regurgitate their day with out the help of the teacher.

We need to show (more so our Elementary kids) that these skills are used day to day. How do you show your children that math, science, English, ect. Is used day to day?? With out the help of things like calculators and computers? Today is the fall equinox, have you discussed WHY the leaves are changing colors? Do you let the kids help in the kitchen, both math and science take place there. Do you sew? have you taught your kids? There is a LOT of math that goes into sewing. Or since you have boys, do you make stuff out of wood? Same idea.

If we want our kids to compete with other countries we need to do it our way, not theirs. We need to be creative and light the spark. Our country does not run like the others you listed and that is part of the problem, but it is also part of the solution.

Quoting happy2bmom25:

Of course I talk to my children. Like I said, it is funny because our school is different. You said yourself that your teacher sends home papers, ours really do not. In three weeks time I have gotten roughly 6 papers from my second grader, and about a dozen from my third grader. One of my neighbours is a teacher herself and has written several letters to the teacher and the principal both about the lack of communication.

It is very helpful to have a little guidence for the talks about school. For instance, a conversation will go much better if I can say, tell me what you learned about the constitution, rather than what did you do in social studies today?

Our curriculum night does not cover curriculum. Last year I went to the state of michigan's education website and printed off the first and second grade curriculum, but without knowing when and how the teacher would cover those subjects, coordination is impossible.

tThat you would assume that I am a parent that can not be bothered with the education of my children was truly out of line.

There have been drops in standards at the state level in the educational system. In our neighborhood there are a lot of families from other countries. Would you care to venture a guess as to why they are here? They are imported engineers. Why? Because we can not produce our own! Why? Becuause our standards in math and science are not able to compete in the real WORLD. That is correct, we absolutely must think about competing at a world level.

Do you only have one child? Have you spoken with many families from India, Germany, China or Japan?

Those countries have much higher standards than we do.

Let me explain another thing to you. All children are different. Boys tend to not talk to their moms as much as girls. That is simply a tendancy, not a rule.

So you can pat yourself on the back and consider yourself supermom because your teacher sends things home with your dd, and you are able to discuss them with her, but don't assume that all teachers are that way, and don't assume that parents are not talking with their children. What you could consider is the world your dd may grow up in, and what options may or may not be avilable to her because of our schools.

Quoting Raine2007:

Have you tried talking to your CHILD??? My DD teacher and school sends home more papers than I care to think about, but I truly think that if we want our kids to succeed than we don't need to be talking to the Teacher so much as we need to talk to the Child. By asking what they learned/did that day you are making them use their brain and try and recall what all happened. Do I expect my child to recall everything down to the last morsel, no. But, if your child knows that you are going to drill them upon their return home they are going to pay more attention to what is going on. You are blaming the Teacher and I am blaming the Parent, but maybe, just maybe it is the child. You are expect the teacher to hand over their lesson plan on a silver platter and are angry because they aren't. I bet the Teacher is expecting you to talk to your child to find out what is going on and is up set because you aren't.....Someone else said the problem is all of the above and I must agree. I am just sick and tiered of we as a people deciding that our teachers are worthless because they don't like us as parents....The teacher isn't their to cattier to you, or your child. They are there to Teach, and if you don't like how they are doing it, pull your kid out and teach them yourself. After all that is YOUR job as a PARENT.

Quoting happy2bmom25:

that is funny. in our neighborhood, we parents beg the teachers for information about what is going on in school. it is like pulling teeth!!!!

i believe, and my neighbors do as well, that if we know what is going on, then we can discuss it at the table, and thus reduce the need for review in the classroom.

apparently, the teachers can not be bothered by informing us parents on what happens in the classroom.

just a different perspective.

i believe that the system is broken, and how bad does it have to get before we quit blaming the parents?

Quoting Raine2007:

Parents and society. More parents view school as a place to put their kids vs actually having an interest in what their child is learning. Children should come home and discuss their day, parents should take the time to go over what their child is learning and help continue that at home. But parents don't have the "time" or they are to tiered to deal with their children to care.

I agree no child left behind was probably better on in theory than in practice, but then many said that would happen because that is historically how things happen.by Requiring certain standards for all, ultimately dumbs down the system as opposed to bringing up the bottom. I do disagree to a point that change has to be done our way. Our way is not working. Why continue down the same path? You seem bent on proving to me that I am not doing a good job as a parent. To answer your questions, yes our children participate in meal preparations. We discuss current events, make up every day math problems and read daily.

I have been keeping up with this post even though I replied at the very beginning.

As you know, I was a teacher that lived working in the classroom under teaching a test. I was blessed, however, at the same time to be teaching English as a Second Language, using real objects and starting at an Emergent level-toddler level. I was teaching Life Skills....That made it meaningful for me and for them.

I am now enjoying totally being at home with my daughter with Down Syndrome. I can go back to what I grew up with in a way: doing things myself, sewing, playing guitar, working with my hands, able to include her in my cooking endeavors, showing her at her level the beautiful world that we live in. I can now teach Reading, Math, Science, Social Studies, Art, hands-on skills, ect: Life Skills.

I love this side of Motherhood where I be with my daughter, sharing daily life with her: Life Skills.

Thank you, Raine, for pointing out what a parent can do with their child to keep connected on a very basic level with the world they are in, the one that is there outside the classroom.

I believe in the modern day that we live in with the invention of Ipods, computer programming, electronic devices, TV, that those things have taken over the way a child could be learning and living what they learned at school, at home.

Where are the life skills-like in Math that they are taught being implemented in real life? ...Just on paper????

I admire the parents that do take the time to see what their children are doing in the classroom and connecting it with real life at home.

I also admire the parents who homeschool, because they are taking an active part in their child's education, and even though accountible for paperwork, are living in a world where their children are able to enjoy the world around them-up close and personal.

Thank you again, Raine for your comments!!!

I so agree with you!!!

Veronica

Quoting Raine2007:

We should compete with other countries, but it will take changing the way we think for that to happen. "We" like the easy life, everything just handed to us because we are entitled.

I shaparoned a feild trip of my baby sisters 7th gread class. One asked what time it was, I showed her my watch (not digital) and she informed me she didn't now how to read it....Really????....Then I informed her that it was Quarter past 4 (we where to meet the bus at 5), She gave me a blank look. If our teens can't even tell time or understand simple fractions we have HUGE problems.

We need to talk to our kids, they need to be able to regurgitate their day with out the help of the teacher.

We need to show (more so our Elementary kids) that these skills are used day to day. How do you show your children that math, science, English, ect. Is used day to day?? With out the help of things like calculators and computers? Today is the fall equinox, have you discussed WHY the leaves are changing colors? Do you let the kids help in the kitchen, both math and science take place there. Do you sew? have you taught your kids? There is a LOT of math that goes into sewing. Or since you have boys, do you make stuff out of wood? Same idea.

If we want our kids to compete with other countries we need to do it our way, not theirs. We need to be creative and light the spark. Our country does not run like the others you listed and that is part of the problem, but it is also part of the solutiion.

Parents and society. More parents view school as a place to put their kids vs actually having an interest in what their child is learning. Children should come home and discuss their day, parents should take the time to go over what their child is learning and help continue that at home. But parents don't have the "time" or they are to tiered to deal with their children to care.

Do teachers hold her back? Have you asked them to give her extra work? Have you considered asking her to do extra work for you that she could do when she finished her assigned classwork and the teacher is assisting children who need more help or the instruction in a different way? You may consider contacting the teacher and asking if you can have your child do extra work.

Quoting randomosityblog:

I hate that teachers hold kids back. My dd is VERY smart but instead of being pushed, she gets dumbed down and put on the level of the other kids in class. There are a few in the class that are smart like she is and I wish they'd give them work to help them excel.

Get involved and tell that to your state/national law makers who force these madates on the schools/reaches/kids. It's all about testing for these people that have never stepped foot into a classroom and teachers/schools are forced to follow it.

Send me email updates about messages I've received on the site and the latest news from The CafeMom Team.
By signing up, you certify that you are female and accept the Terms of Service and have read the
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